He wrote in the Daily Mail: "My dad didnâ€™t want to put pressure on me early doors so I joined a small side called Barking Colts and loved it. You could enjoy your football.

"Then I moved to Arsenalâ€™s academy at 11. Arsene Wenger was manager and Liam Brady was head of development. Colin Kazim-Richards and Bradley Johnson were in my year.

"But I was always late for training because my dad couldnâ€™t get off work early enough to drive me from where we lived in Beckton to Highbury in time. After a couple of years, West Ham wanted me so I decided to give it a go."